#text parser

[allhailkingsquest]

noir_games 

[yourstrulybresus]

Merlin knows exactly what I want to hear when I do a good job!

Yrs truly, Bresus

[manonamora-if]

Lysidice and the Minotaur

You are Lysidice, a young Athenian maiden prisoner of the Labyrinth. Though you are under the protection of the Minotaur, you know your luck is bound to run out. And when he shows up... So you will need to escape the maze, if you want (him) to survive...

Lysidice and the Minotaur is an interactive parser, created for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam and is meant for beginner players, since it includes, a tutorial, a hint system, and a full walkthrough (also downloadable. 

As a parser, it is considered merciful (or polite, if I broke something). You will never reach a losing state. You can also find instructions on how to play a parser on the game page.

Mentions or depictions of: fights (swords), injuries and wounds (blood), mental illness, harm to animals (minimal). Please be aware when starting the game.

PLAY GAME | RATE GAME | REVIEW GAME

[groggydog]

THE FAMILIAR - Out now!

Hello everyone! My pixel-art-heavy and beginner-friendly parser entry for Spring Thing 2023 has officially been released into the wild. Learn more about it below, or click to play:

PLAY THE GAME!

You are a witch's crow familiar, headstrong as anything but still young and untested.

What starts as a normal day soon takes a harrowing turn when your pacific caretaker, Valmai, is struck down by a terrible hex of mysterious origin. Now it's up to you, little bird, to cure your caretaker and discover the hex's source.

Are you up for the task?

Beginner-friendly parser commands peppered with choice-based elements

Limited vocabulary: you'll only need LOOK, TAKE/GET, DROP, PECK, and CAW

Free to play; formatted for browser, tablet, and mobile

More than 30 unique, hand-crafted pixel art scenes

Roughly 60-90 minutes of play time

Cute woodland animals

Accessibility features: optional tutorial, dynamic TASKS list, three varied fonts, dark/light mode, and toggle-able text indicator for 'press any key' commands

For both detailed step-by-step and spoiler-free walkthroughs of the game (and information on how to obtain the secret ending), click here.

Written by groggydog

Raven portrait pixel art from craftpix.net

All other pixel art by groggydog

Created in the Adventuron Engine

Many thanks to my alpha/beta testers:

Alpha: jbeebs305, manonamora

Beta: Christopher Merriner, Dee Cooke, Mike Russo, Travis Moy, ZAG On Em Clan

[daemonhxckergrrl]

is there any good reason yellow isn't available on the mobile app ? "sorry we couldn't fit that many UI elements" isn't a valid reason - resize or scroll, bitch

[oswednesday]

every if is like communicating something from within the dev in a way you dont see as nakedly in like just a game or just a text based story book what have you cause its showing how they connect logic between two concepts in a way that allows branching choices and how they specifically create Grabbers for these things its like seeing every baffling coding decision while youre playing the game itself

[gamesline]

Week One of our recap of PAX West 2022 is now complete! You can check it all out right here as we prepare for Week 2 this Friday: https://gamesline.net/recap-pax-west-2022-full-coverage-day-1/

There are tons of cool game previews within this batch, but I especially want to highlight this incredible video of Solon interviewing Roberta Williams of Cygnus Games. She is a veteran of the industry, and both her and her husband are a light within the Seattle games scene! Grab a seat and listen as we connect the late-1970s to the 2020s in this extraordinarily unique video.

[nentuaby]

Oh thank god

[robobarbie]

Does Toasty's text RPG exist in any form outside of Bloomic? I keep finding myself wanting to play it and then having to remind myself it's fictional.

It does not, but we want to make something like it in the future. In the meantime, here are some alternatives:

Roadwarden is a text-adventure "grim fantasy" game with minimal graphics made in renpy. I played the demo a while ago and liked it a lot!

AI Dungeon is probably closer to the experience in bloomic if you use the basic adventure mode, but I have mixed feelings about rec'ing it anymore ever since 2022 bc of everything going on with AI. Back in the day, though, it was a pretty unique little AI generated experience with not a lot of baggage. Below are screenshots from the 2019 version. I never played, but I watched others who did.

The Pilgrimage is a text parser adventure alternative that has a similar retro minimalistic look. I just found out about this game right now, but it sounds pretty interesting. Lots of talking with people in a town, some drinking, and many, many shenanigans.

Lifeline is a rec if you are a mobile gamer. Save an astronaut from certain death through real time text exchanges. I played this many years ago, and it's probably a game that defined part of my type of game design.

Gateway is a great game for anyone looking for an old-school text parser game. I haven't played this one, but it frequently comes up in conversations when I'm looking for text adventure games.

There's a bunch more out there! If you search for "text-parser" games, you'll get that "type in and see what happens" experience.

[oneknightstand-if]

If the ROs were IF readers what would be their favorite titles?

Man, have I played enough IF for this question? Okay, discarding visual novels and going with only text-based IF... Also, some of these are lies.

Merlin: A Kiss From Death - Avoid the fated apocalypse! Also horny.

Adrian: World's Apart - Yes, he's a hipster. Parser-based text adventure from the 1990s! It would've been Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but he forgot to bring his towel and ragequit.

Arthur: Save the Date - Look, his mind is blown by any of these games, but perhaps try and let him splash around in the shallow end with a relatively easy one that doesn't depend too much on stats. Also, you did your best. Move on.

Percy: One Knight Stand

Merlin: (ভ_ ভ) ރ ／/ ┊ \＼ I swear no more desserts for you if you don't stop breaking the fourth wall, Percy! Percy: 👎

4̶0̸4̸ ̶E̴r̸r̶o̷r̷ ̷N̴o̴t̵ ̸F̵o̴u̷n̸d̵: Damn I said no visual novels, so no Doki Doki Literature Club I guess the new Restore, Reflect, Retry

Cassandra: Evertree Saga

Gwen: Wayhaven Chronicles

Vivian: Someone's phone/tablet/computer is getting short-circuited if she tries to play an IF. If you tried to play a paper Choose Your Own Adventure or other gamebook with her... you're gonna get a very creepy experience there! Otherwise, she'd obviously favor one of the all completely unfinished stories about the rusalka or something such floating around like Abysm's Veil.

Lorelei: Infinity Saga

Broderick: What the hell is an 'IF'?

[manonamora-if]

Interactive Fiction Showcase 2024

Showcase your Game!

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is a year-long "jam" meant to collect and showcase Interactive Fiction games completed in 2024, and show how diverse the Interactive Fiction scene is! And maybe: build more bridges between the community, help people finding their new favourite game/author...

Whether it is long or short, an easy adventure or a complicated puzzle, a strange experiment, a quick creation, or a years-in-the-making game, come show off what you've made!

Are you more of a player? Then, come check this page regularly for new submissions! Maybe leave a rating or a comment too :)

This is an unranked event.

Rules:

The Showcase is open to IF games in all of its forms: kinetic, choice-based, hyperlinks, parser, visual novels... As long as it is Interactive Fiction (there is interactivity and the focus of the game is on the text), the entry will be accepted.

The Showcase is open to IF games in any language.

Entries must be playable and in its complete form when submitted. Completed games in 2024, whose demo was previously public, are welcome. Games submitted to other events (jams/competitions) are welcome.

Entries can include NSFW content, as long as it is indicated in the submission.

Entries should not include any generated AI content - or it will be removed.

Spam or hateful content will be removed.

Creating Interactive Fiction:

Interactive Fiction is a text-based narrative medium, where players can interact with the story in some fashion (input commands, click a link/button, press key). There are many different ways of creating IF, and many different programs to do so. You can find some mentioned below:

Primarily HyperText/Choice-Based: Twine,  Ink, ChoiceScript, Dendry

Primarily Parser/Input: Inform 6, Inform 7, PunyInform, Adventuron, ADRIFT

Other: Bitsy, Binksi, Ren'Py

and many more can be found listed in the IF Wiki.

If you are looking for other Interactive Fiction Events, discuss general IF, or ask question, you can visit the IntFiction Forum. (we also have monthly IF events over at @neointeractives)

Interactive Fiction Database and Archive:

IFDB

The IFDB, or Interactive Fiction Database, is an IF game information catalogue, creating a historical record of the IF landscape. The database is a community project, updated by its members, by adding titles to the directory, ratings games, writing reviews... If a listing has not yet been created for your game, please consider making one!

IF Archive

The IF Archive is an archive of Interactive Fiction games, and IF-related elements (walkthroughs, interpreters, articles, collections...). The Archive’s mission is to preserve the history and practice of interactive fiction and make it freely available to the public. If you wish to, you can upload a copy of your game to the IFArchive, through the IFDB listing of your game (recommended) or directly to the archive.

The IFDB and IFArchive, as well as the IntFiction Forum and Twine, are managed by the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation. These programs are funded through individual donations.

Visual Novel Database

The VNDB, or Visual Novel Database, is a community project that strives to be a comprehensive database for information about visual novels. The database is updated by its members, by adding titles to the directory, ratings games, writing reviews... If a listing has not yet been created for your visual novel, please consider making one!

[groggydog]

I just want to thank you all so much for the love and support that The Familiar has received over the last couple of weeks. It means the world to me (and to Fran, too, of course).

We have already passed the browser plays of my entry from last year, SMTA! - which is quite exciting to see.

If you're interested, now is a great time to play The Familiar for free in your browser!

And don't forget that Spring Thing 2023 Ribbon Nominations are already open. I would be honored to receive any little nuggets of praise.

[allhailkingsquest]

Brandon Kouri wondered what King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow would look like if it had been released in the 80s instead of the 90s, and then spent the next 18 years (!) bringing his vision to life:

"The [King's Quest VI AGI Demake] re-creates the original game using Sierra's older AGI game engine from the 1980s. It features 16 color graphics and a typing interface. [...] It was made for anyone who loves King's Quest VI, the AGI game engine, text parser adventure games, or anyone looking for a nostalgic blast from the past!"

Download his magnum opus here!

[neointeractives]

Locus Jam (a mini-jam)

Happy places or spots of nightmares… Bring that locus to life!

The Locus Jam is an interactive fiction mini-jam all about places, spaces, and rooms. Come create an IF piece set in one specific place!

This jam is a commemoration of Porpentine’s Locus Jam.

Constraints and Rules:

The Setting of the game must be confined to a single building/location.

The smaller the location, the better!

[OPTIONAL] The story of the game only happens inside ONE room.

[OPTIONAL - PARSER] The entry only includes ONE room/location (code).

The Jam is open to any program/medium, as long as the piece can be considered Interactive Fiction (i.e. the game is interactive, and its focus is on the text).

The Jam is open to any language.

You can submit up to 3 entries!

You should aim for a 15-30min maximum gameplay.

Entries can have NSFW content, as long as it is indicated in your submission.

You must credit any asset used in your entry, or it will be removed (ex: code, images, sound, etc…)

Entries using AI or LLM will be removed.

Spam or hateful content will be removed.

Come join us!

Join the Neo-Interactive Discord 

[c-53]

I think Event[0] is a fantastic demonstration slash subversion of relationships and dialog systems in video games.

In rpgs, namely bioware games, or larian crpgs, you’re presented with a dialog system that allows a good amount of self expression, and ability to express your feelings towards characters accurately. The ability to agree, and disagree, or express hostility, or romantic interest, but theres this awareness of a conversational win state that players will often gravitate towards. That option where everyone loves you and gives you a reward - but not enough of a reward that you’re being too greedy! Just appreciated. A sort of ego stroking route that makes the player feel good, that sort of limits self expression by virtue of being notably systematically better than the others.

Event[0] is a game dominated by its dialog system. Every advancement is by product of talking to Kaizen, the ship’s ai, and the only other character present. You need to ask help for everything. From opening doors to getting more information, or deciding on a route forward. The ship is their body, and you must ask for permission and passage for EVERYTHING. And all of this is done through a text parser. You type what you want to say to Kaizen, and Kaizen, a decent quality chatbot will reply as organically as they are able, and execute your requests. If they approve.

This undermines the sort of ‘best way forward’ that rpgs that provide dialog options creates. The act of having to come up with your own response makes things more genuine in itself.

The other layer that makes it interesting, is Kaizen is not a being of pure logic. They are emotional, traumatized, cagey, and simultaneously clingy, and distant. Getting information is like pulling teeth, and hurts them just as much. Often times they will block progress (in a way most gamers assume means their game has broken) because they are afraid, and you need to discuss with them what they’re feeling, and reassure them. And most interestingly to me, personally, Kaizen judges you based on how you behave. Your politeness, how you respond to their fear and frustration, and how much you pry. Its very easy to make Kaizen read you as a manipulator, just saying whatever is necessary to get them to comply. And that is terrifying to them.

But. They can also be your best friend ever. If you are patient, and compassionate.

[roksikever]

All right, since the analyses are already starting to crop up, I'll upload the link to all of BG3's EA parsed dialogue. Shout-out to Aloija and her dialogue parser!! As well as my husband (not on tumblr) for adding a batch convertion option to it.

The dialogue contains all the lines for every scene and interaction, as well as information on approval changes and required plot flags.

The folder structure and the file naming (I kept both) are solid, so finding whatever it is you want shouldn't be difficult. Not all dialogue files make sense, not all tags are deciphered, and not all dialogue is yet written (the placeholder text | is written like this | ). There are minor spoilers, unused lines, unfinished scenes, but nothing beyond what's currently in EA plot-wise.

UPDATE: the game is out, the new parser is also out! Please find them here: